Friday, December 20, 2002
Report: 82% of U.S. consumers believe backing-up music CDs is legal

A survey of U.S. consumers found that 82 percent believe making "backup" copies of music CDs and software is legal, despite vague laws governing the practice, Connecticut-based research firm GartnerG2 reported.

Additionally, the survey found that 75 percent of consumers believe backing up video games is legal and 73 percent think backing up videotapes and DVDs is legal. "The reality is that current laws are vague and content companies are pushing for strict control over consumer copying behavior," said GartnerG2 research director Mike McGuire.

"Until laws are passed allowing consumers the right to back up files legally, the uncertainty about lack of basic archiving and backup capabilities will stunt growth of the online media distribution market for the next three to five years. Amending the [Digital Millennium Copyright Act] to allow consumers to backup all their digital content is a reasonable compromise between consumer expectations and the reality of copyright law."